Fleet Moss
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Fleet Moss was one of the most degraded upland blanket bogs in Yorkshire, so much so that the erosion could be seen from space. The peatland that historically stored thousands of years’ worth of carbon but had become deeply eroded by decades of drainage and erosion..
Restoration Challenge
Restoration at Fleet Moss has been ongoing since 2017 funded by DEFRA, Pennine PeatLife and Yorkshire Water, managed by Yorkshire Peat Partnership and delivered by Marsden AES.
Fleet Moss had suffered extensive damage from historic drainage channels (‘grips’) and deep erosion gullies, leaving areas of bare peat that were vulnerable to further loss of carbon and soil. Effective restoration required raising water levels, slowing water flow, and enabling vegetation to re-establish on bare peat surfaces.
Techniques & Implementation
Marsden AES implemented a suite of restoration techniques developed by YPP and partners, including:
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Gully and grip blocking – constructing coir, stone, timber and other dam structures across erosion features to slow flow and retain water on the bog surface.
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Hydrological rewetting – blocking channels to raise water tables toward peat-forming conditions, helping to reduce oxidation and peat loss.
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Erosion control and revegetation support – helping stabilise bare peat with heather brash and supporting natural revegetation by peatland specialists on site.
Marsden AES’s field teams worked across varied, remote terrain to install hundreds of dams and channel blocks, using both traditional materials and innovative approaches. Their efforts ensured that restoration designs were translated into robust in-field interventions that are now retaining water and supporting habitat recovery
Before restoration
Fleet Moss had hundreds of kilometres of gullies, vast areas of bare peat and no ecological or hydrological functionality and was a net source of carbon
Early Results
Although peatland recovery is a long-term process, early signs on restored areas of Fleet Moss are promising:
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Water levels are holding behind installed dams, reducing overland runoff and erosion.
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Vegetation such as cotton grass and sphagnum moss is beginning to return in places where conditions have improved. Rare plants such as sundews have also returned.
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Sediment is accumulating behind the structures, demonstrating the effectiveness of hydrological intervention.
Wider Benefits
The work delivered by Marsden AES not only contributes to local habitat recovery, but also supports broader ecosystem and societal benefits:
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Carbon retention – slowing the release of stored carbon and setting the stage for future carbon sequestration.
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Water quality – cleaner water entering rivers and reservoirs as sediment flows are reduced.
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Biodiversity – restoration enables specialised peatland flora and fauna to return to recovering habitats.
Photo credit Jenny Sharman @ Yorkshire Peat Partnership
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